Fetch!
Fatty and Mabel Adrift poster
Public Domain

Fatty and Mabel Adrift

1916 · Keystone Film Company · Dir. Roscoe Arbuckle

Villains launch Fatty and Mabel's beachfront house into the ocean.

Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —

Why this status applies

Fatty and Mabel Adrift was released in 1916. Under current United States copyright law, specifically the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This applies regardless of whether the copyright was originally renewed or belongs to a specific studio. The film was produced by the Keystone Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. As a production from 1916, it became public domain on January 1, 1992, at the latest (prior to the 1998 extension which only protected works still under copyright at that time). There are no nuances regarding foreign restoration (URAA) as it is a domestic U.S. production.
— Cited Sources —

Supporting facts

  • U.S. Copyright Office - Circular 15a: Duration of Copyright
  • IMDb - Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916)
  • AFI Catalog of Feature Films - Fatty and Mabel Adrift
  • Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)

Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.